The 11 News I-Team has learned that the repo man is about to call on Baltimore's housing authority.

WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller said it's the most dramatic step yet to collect a debt the city refuses to pay -- millions of dollars of unpaid judgments involving lead paint poisoning.

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The city sheriff's office on Wednesday started the process of tagging 21 vehicles on the list of assets -- including trucks, vans and a Bobcat -- all owned by the Baltimore City Housing Authority, Miller said.

The money was awarded in judgments to two people who claimed they suffered lead poisoning when they lived in the authority's public housing as children.

Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake insist the city can't afford to pay the judgments without affecting services to the city's public housing residents.

But like any other debtor who refuses to pay their bills, the property can be taken, according to Millers report on Tuesday.

"Once we get the list, we are going to deal with an auctioneer and auction the vehicles off," said Evan Goldman, a lawyer retained to collect more than $2 million from the housing authority. "It's going to be a public auction advertised in the paper, and anyone can go there and bid on a non-federal vehicle and all the funds are going to be used to pay the judgment."

The sheriff is also working on tagging hundreds of the authority's computers, which will be taken to help pay the judgments, Miller said.

The city has spent a significant amount of money in legal fees and interest fighting the cases. Miller said the unpaid judgment amounts to more than $2.5 million. Tack on 10 percent interest and the bill jumps by another $260,000.

"It's really hard to believe that the housing authority has continued to fight this and spend more money to try to fight a judgment they've already lost," Goldman said. "(It) seems like it would be more economical to pay the money and move on and not have these vehicles possibly up for grabs."